The Fifth Year Way
by poisonivy1123
Summary: Teddy Lupins life is so hard. No one could possibly understand what he's going through... right?


Harry Potter was a proud father of three, though he considered the fifteen year-old he was currently watching storm across his living room to be his fourth child. The teen had been orphaned in the second wizarding war against Voldemort, a war in which Harry had been directly involved in. Harry, being the gracious godfather he was, took young Teddy into his family, switching off responsibility for Teddy with the boy's Grandmother.

As Harry watched Teddy's hair was swiftly changing from a deep black to and angry red as the boy mumbled furiously under his breath.

"Can't believe her… She doesn't get it… doesn't understand… I'm so alone… life's so hard…"

Harry leaned back in his chair, trying to decide how to approach this situation.

"Hey Teddy, do you want a butterbeer?" Harry asked as he stood from his chair.

Teddy's sharp glare softened as he looked towards his Godfather. Teddy still held a small bit of hero worship from his younger years, thought he would completely deny the fact.

"Yeah sure," He muttered, collapsing in the worn couch across from Harry's seat with a heavy sigh.

"So Ted," Began Harry, returning from the kitchen and handing Teddy his drink, "I've been thinking about this quarrel between you and Andromeda, and this whole new attitude you have- Just hear me out." Harry said, stopping his godson's protests before they even started.

"Now, all the other times any of us has tried to… approach you about this it's never turned out so well. So if decided I'm going to do this a bit differently… I'll be doing this the Fifth Year Way."

Teddy paled, having heard about Harry's infamous 'Fifth Year Way' from Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron described a time of short tempers and blunt confrontations. Harry's mind was being constantly attacked by Voldemort, creating a ticking time-bomb of teenage emotions.

Harry took a deep breath and ran a hand through his messy locks, mentally sending himself back in time so that he might compare to his attitude in fifth year.

"Alright Teddy, you say you have it hard? I suppose no one else can understand being orphaned at a young age. No one gets how hard it is to grow up with unfair relatives, feeling like you have to live up to unfair expectations of being like your powerful parents whom you barley knew, right? No one can possibly sympathize with having to struggle through training for OWLS with a sub-par defense teacher and a crush on a gorgeous Ravenclaw, can they?" Harry looked into Teddy's eyes, with a cold shine that teddy had never seen before in his Godfather, a glimpse of the terrible war all the adults in his life has struggled through. His vicious red hair had faded to a medium gray.

"Well **Guess what** Teddy," Harry smacked his palms against the table between Godfather and Godson and leaning forward, "I get it. I do. I understand all of what you're going through right now. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'd say that I had it a bit worse than you, huh? I slept in a cupboard! I did not find out until it was ten years until I learned exactly why my relatives would not touch me except to remind me of my place." Harry's bright emerald eyes stared into this distance, getting carried away in this long overdue rant. "I did not know what my own parents looked like until I met Hagrid. The entire student body changed their minds on whether they loved or hated me several times a year over things out of my control. My defense teacher made me carve words into my own hands for telling the truth and trying to save the wizarding world! Do you know how many people I have seen die!? How many of my loved ones I couldn't save? I walked to my death because I **couldn't** see the only people I had let die when I could stop it." Harry's suddenly met teddy's stunned eyes before letting his head fall heavily into his hands.

"I… I went a bit too far didn't I?" Harry asked slowly as he realized the entirety of emotions he had revealed to his still adolescent Godson.

Teddy's hair had slowly faded from the petulant grey to a guilty light blue as he listened to Harry's heart to heart, his perpetual glare sliding off his brow as he realized just how horrible his father figures childhood had been.

"No... I guess… I guess I needed to hear that." Teddy admitted mournfully.

"Well… sorry about that, didn't mean to dump old feelings on you, but you need to know that I am here for you alright?" Harry said slowly.

Teddy's hair slowly sprung to bright turquoise blue, "Yeah, thanks Harry."

The older man clapped teddy on the back, "Good talk I guess." Harry said before walking away.

And that was the end of serious-ness for the day.


End file.
